Vikings Season 3

DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:

This series is a lot closer to a 5-star series than a 4. Vikings opens a window onto a group of people who culturally view and deal with life in a very different manner from anything I am used to. The primary and most obvious difference is that death (either their own or someone else’s) means very little to them.

The window onto Viking culture leaves me kind of mentally sorting through dialogue and action that takes place, marking off the things that I think are similar or different from my own experience of life. I like the way heroes and villains are handled in this series. Even the worst Viking villains are not going to yell for their Mommy when it comes time for their (typically brutal) punishment. And the best heroes (Ragnar) can turn bloodily murderous at the drop of a hat.

There is an unstated evolution taking place in Ragnar where he seems to sense that savagery is not an optimal way of life. He seems to be slowly awakening to the novel idea that human life might have value, and this awakening potentially connects him to you and me and our own lives. Ragnar’s most attractive quality is not his faceted, piercing blue eyes, but his intellectual curiosity, which by necessity, always takes second place to his need to maintain dominance by destroying anything blocking his path.

Ragnar is surrounded by interesting Vikings: Floki the Loki-like, artistically crazy, boat-builder/inventor/Norse-god-fanatic. Lagaertha, the ultimate combination of Nordic beauty and female warrior. Rollo, the ultimate male warrior, Ragnar’s brother, who can’t seem to get out of Ragnar’s shadow and find a place for himself that suits his needs and ambitions. And many more.

I do want to raise one caveat, which is the fact that somehow I started watching Vikings at season 2. I didn’t realize this until halfway through season 4A, at which point I then went back and watched Season 1. Season 1 took a little time to really get its balance, which didn’t bother me at all because I already knew where it was going. But looking at some nasty critiques of the series later on, I realized that many of these critiques were coming from people who had watched a couple of episodes from season 1 and weren’t patient enough to keep going with it. So, my advice is if season 1 doesn’t grab you right away, stick with it, and it will be worth it.

-Steve

I thought the whole spirit of this show was encapsulated last season during the episode in which Ragnar is staring behind a door at every character on this show during a feast and wondering who is on his side and who is plotting against him. Even though the show has a historical underpinning to it, I think what makes it so amazing is in the fact that the producers made each and every major character someone that you are interested in seeing what their motives/struggles are. You just don’t quite know who lies on which side. Think about it, pretty much every epic show out there like Game of Thrones have some dominant storylines AND some storylines that follow characters that you really have NO vested interest in. Not Vikings. Vikings is really the only show out there which the show can fork about 12 different ways with each character spotlight AND you can’t wait to see how each one of them will fit into the bigger scheme.

-J. Alvarado

As a television series goes on, it can run the risk of stagnation, of jumping the shark, or of repetitiveness. Thankfully Michael Hirst and his fellow writers know the secret to sustaining a good show: with each new season you must deepen the characters, enlarge the world, and raise the stakes.

“Vikings” continues in this strain, which builds on the developments of the first two seasons whilst also forging into brand new territory. Having discovered lands to the west, Ragnar Lothbrok and his people are eager to explore and raid, but also settle in the country they soon learn is England. Naturally it’s easier said than done.

Yet when we first see Ragnar at the start of season three, he’s higher than he’s ever been – figuratively and literally. Having defeated the kings and jarls that would have betrayed him and killed his family, Ragnar now sits with his eldest son on a clifftop overlooking his home. There they make plans to return to England – not on a raid, as has previously been the case, but to claim the land promised them by King Ecbert and start a new life as farmers.

England, of course, has other plans. In exchange for his help, Ecbert wants Ragnar and his warriors to assist his ally Princess Kwenthrith of Mercia to defeat her uncle and brother and reclaim her throne. Life as a mercenary is not what Ragnar wants, but most of his men – including his son Bjorn – are eager for the battlefield.

The appeal of “Vikings” is encapsulated in the complexity of its lead character: Ragnar Lothbrok as played by Travis Fimmel. Though he’s a fierce warrior, he’s also a family man; though he’s a great king, he’s also a farmer at heart. He’s not driven by bloodlust or greed or ambition, but by potent curiosity of the world around him.

In this he has a kindred spirit in King Ecbert, though when it comes to their cunning Ragnar may have finally met his match. Already there is a subtle tug-of-war between the two men for the loyalties of Lagertha and Athelstan, the two people most dear to Ragnor: his ex-wife and the young monk who now serves as Ragnar’s friend and translator.

Lagertha is sent with the other settlers to claim their new farmland, and Athelstan goes with her, still struggling with his crisis of faith. That leaves Ragnar and his men – his brother Rollo, wild Floki, loyal Torstein – to accompany Princess Kwenthrith into battle.

It’s shaping up to be a great season, and the first episode alone features two of this show’s trademark strengths: first, a fight sequence that’s worthy of the big screen in its scope, and a few surprises that reveal characters to be more than just one-dimensional good guys or bad guys: Princess Kwenthrith, so far characterized as bloodthirsty and ruthless, has an unexpected reaction to battle, while King Ecbert, always so totally in control of himself, is now besotted with Lagertha.

Political intrigue, historical accuracy (or as accurate an attempt as we’re ever likely to get) and great performances from a fantastic cast – this is why I tune in to “Vikings”, and I’m happy to report the show is still on an upward trajectory.

-R. M. Fisher

DVD Wholesale Main Features :   

Actors: Travis Fimmel, George Blagden, Clive Standen
Directors: Ken Girotti, Jeff Woolnough, Helen Shaver
Format: Multiple Formats, Box set, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number of discs: 3
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Release Date: October 6, 2015
Run Time: 440 minutes